10 Fantastic Attractions in Fife, Scotland

If you have a few days free while in Edinburgh, consider visiting the villages and attractions in Fife.

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All prices and times were accurate when this information was written or updated; however, please verify the details on the websites before your visit.

Culross

The medieval village & Royal Burgh of Culross (pronounced Coo-riss) is in the Kingdom of Fife and is one of those charming villages that you fall in love with at first sight. Located on the northern banks of the Firth of Forth, it is the place that everyone wanders through on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

A free car park is a big bonus in such a popular village. On the esplanade, there is a kids’ playground and picnic area.

Culross Palace

Culross Palace is on the main street, just across from the Esplanade. It isn’t a palace, but the name was born out of a typo, as it should have been a place.

Dating from the 17th and 18th Centuries, Culross Palace is part of the National Trust of Scotland. When you visit, you can see great examples of painted ceilings. You also explore the gardens behind the buildings and have refreshments in Bessie’s Café.

Check out their events page to see what tours, events, such as Christmas Markets, or closures are available during your visit.

Hours

Palace and Garden

The last entry to the Palace is an hour before closing.

• 15 Mar–6 Apr, daily, 10.00–16.00
• 7 Apr–30 Sep, daily, 10.00–17.001
• 1 Oct-31 Oct, daily, 10.00–16.00

Shop

• 15 Mar–6 Apr, daily, 10.00–16.00
• 7 Apr–30 Sep, daily, 10.00–16.45
• 1 Oct–31 Oct, daily, 10.00–16.00

Bessie’s Café

The last orders are at 15.30

• 28 Feb–13 Apr, Thu–Mon, 10.00–16.00 (last orders 15.30)
• 14 Apr–30 Sep, daily, 10.00–17.00 (last orders 16.00)
• 1 Oct–31 Oct, daily, 10.00–16.00 (last orders 15.30)

Prices

Palace & Garden – Book at the Townhouse Gift Shop on the day or click here to plan your visit.

Admiral Thomas Cochrane

Just outside the Palace is Admiral Thomas Cochrane’s bust. He wasn’t born in Culross, but he grew up in Abbey House and is the inspiration for the fictional naval hero Horatio Hornblower.

Admiral Cochrane became the 10th Earl of Dundonald upon his father’s death in 1831. A great inventor and MP, the Earl of Dundonald, is now buried in Westminster Abbey.

The Townhouse

When you follow the cobblestone roads, it will lead you to the Town House. A gift shop pays attention to the TV series Outlander, which has been filmed in Culross. You can also see a painted ceiling in the gift shop.

On the other side of the gift shop is my favourite shop in Culross. Graham Harris, Graham Fine Art Photography, showcases his fine art photography of Scotland. His photography is available for sale in various formats, showcasing Scotland at its finest.

Hours

Open 7 days from 10 am to 5 pm.         

Prices

Entry is entirely free. 

Mercat Cross

Turning left after the shops, the road will lead you up the hill. Here, you’ll find the Mercat Cross, Culross Abbey, and the Parish Church.

Found throughout Scotland, Mercat Cross is Scottish for Market Cross. It denotes where permission was given by a monarch, a bishop, or a baron to hold a market and dates back to at least the 17th Century.

Fans of the TV series Outlander may recognise this part of Culross as it was the town of Cranesmuir in the series. You might recognise The Cross from the scenes.

Culross Abbey

Once you’re near the top of the road, you have the ruins of Culross Abbey to explore.

Culross Abbey was founded in 1217 on top of a 6th-century Pictish church. By 1633, the Reformation and the natural decline of monasteries had led to the ruins you now find.

There isn’t much to see, although you can climb the metal stairs to the next level. The east end still survives today as the Culross Parish Church.

Culross Abbey is open to the public and free to visit, available year-round.

Culross Parish Church

Dating back to the early 1630s, Culross Parish Church has been offering services that are still available today. The doors should be open for you to visit. Inside, you can learn about the history of the Abbey through informational boards.

You can also see the memorial Tomb House of Sir George Bruce, Laird of Carnock, his wife, and eight children.

The legend associated with the Abbey states that a man sits in the tunnels beneath the Abbey, waiting for someone to find him, upon whom he will bestow treasure. One story is that a blind piper accompanied by his dog entered. Playing his pipes, he travelled at least three-quarters of a mile searching, but although the dog returned to the surface, the blind piper was never seen or heard from again.

Dunfermline

If you have a few days to spend seeing attractions in Fife, you could easily spend one of them here in Dunfermline.

Dunfermline Abbey and Palace

Dunfermline Abbey is full of so much Scottish history. One of the volunteers may give you a detailed description of the history of Robert the Bruce and the Abbey.

Margaret founded the Priory here in 1070 on the site where she married Malcolm III. She was an Anglo-Saxon Princess born in Hungary after her family had been exiled.

She was a pious, charitable Queen who established a ferry across the Firth of Forth for pilgrims, and this is where the names of North and South Queensferry have derived from.

Her shrine was located at the back of the Abbey, and in 1250, she was canonised due to the miracles attributed to her for those who prayed at her shrine.

Margaret’s story was inspirational for me, and hopefully, she will never be forgotten, even though her relics were lost and dispersed after the Scottish Reformation.

Charles I was the last monarch born in Dunfermline Palace in 1600, and Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, was buried in this Abbey.

The original tomb photographed below was destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. During the clearance before the building of the Abbey, parts of the marble tomb were discovered, allowing people to recreate it.

His bones were recovered, verified and now lie under the pulpit.

Hours

From April 1st, the summer opening hours will follow the same pattern as those of Historic Environment Scotland. Please always check either their page or our Facebook page on your day of travel.

• Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
• The Abbey Church is open for Morning Worship every Sunday at 10.30 am.

The last entry for visitors is 4 pm.

Please note that the church may be closed at short notice due to funerals, weddings and other events. Please check back here or on our Facebook Page

Pittencrieff Park

Pittencrieff Park is right across the road from Dunfermline Abbey. After buying the land in 1902, Andrew Carnegie returned it to the townspeople he loved. Peacocks roam the grounds, which you can also walk through, as you search for Andrew Carnegie’s statue, the Glen, and Peace Park, featuring the Peace Pole, which was erected before the Dalai Lama’s visit in 2004.

Another great free thing to do is Pittencrieff House Museum. It features exhibitions that allow you to learn about what the land was like 350 million years ago and what species have lived here throughout the ages.

Rose Gardens, Glasshouses, and St. Margaret’s Cave are open to all ages. St. Margaret’s Cave may be a bit eerie, with the haunting sound effect of monks singing.

The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum

I’ll admit that I knew the name Andrew Carnegie, but I didn’t know anything about his life or where he was born, and this is where the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum is invaluable.

From humble beginnings in Dunfermline, he read books and took chances to become one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Between 1883 and 1929, he built 2,509 public and university libraries, the first of which was constructed in Dunfermline, giving back to the town he was born in.

The Museum includes the cottage where he was born, furnished as it was nearly 200 years ago, as the weaver’s cottage, complete with a loom downstairs, as that was his father’s trade.

This is another free museum that is well worth visiting. The collections give you an insight into Andrew’s life as a family man and philanthropist.

Hours

Every Day, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm (last entry 3:20 pm)

Prices

Free

Falkland

The little village of Falkland has two things tourists love: a Palace and being used in the TV series Outlander. You could spend an afternoon or one of your days in this village in Fife.

Falkland was used as a stand-in for Inverness in the TV series Outlander. It was at this fountain that Jamie’s ghostly figure looked up at where Claire was staying.

Falkland Palace

There are gardens to explore and the Falkland Palace; you could easily spend a couple of hours or more here.

Through renovations to the existing castle, Falkland Palace became a Royal home during the reigns of James IV and James V in the early 16th Century. It was initially a hunting lodge in the 12th Century before expanding in the 13th Century.

The oldest tennis court in the United Kingdom is located at Falkland Palace, which was completed in 1541. Mary, Queen of Scots, used to play, causing a scandal for wearing men’s breeches.

During the Cromwell years, the Palace suffered significant damage following a fire and was subsequently left in a state of ruin. It wasn’t until 1887 that restoration began under John, the 3rd Marquis of Bute, and it is thanks to him that we have the Palace as it is today.

Hours

Palace and Garden

• 1 Mar–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
• 1 Nov–28 Feb 2026, closed

Shop

• 1 Mar–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
• 1 Nov–31 Dec, closed

Prices

You can buy tickets for the Palace & Garden or just the Garden. Click here to find your price.

Falkland Palace is also part of the National Trust. Members are free.

Aberdour

Aberdour Castle

If you’re a fan of Outlander, Aberdour Castle is another place you should visit. It was used as the place where Claire tended to Jamie, aiding his recovery from the hands of “Black Jack” Randall.

Part of the Castle is in ruins, but some parts have stood the test of time, and one is in the room with the painted ceiling, which dates to the 17th Century.

This Castle dates back to the 12th or 13th centuries and has been extended over the centuries.

Walled and terraced gardens, as well as a doocot, or pigeon house, surround three sides of the Castle.

There is limited parking available, but the establishment does offer a cafe and outdoor seating on lovely days. You can easily fit it into one of your days of touring around Fife.

Hours

29 Mar to 30 Sept:
Daily, 10 am to 4.30 pm (last entry 4 pm).

1 Oct to 28 Mar:
Daily except Thur & Fri, 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.15 pm).

Closed for lunch from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm.

Closed from 25 December to 5 January.

Prices

Click here to find the current prices.

• Historic Scotland members get free entry to our sites. You must show your valid membership on arrival.
• English Heritage, Manx and Cadw members get half-price entry in their first year and free entry for renewal and life members. 

St. Andrews

The main street of St. Andrews has pay-and-display parking. There are shops, cafés, and the Holy Trinity Church, which is so colourful with flowers in the garden and hanging pots everywhere.

St. Andrews Cathedral

The St. Andrews Cathedral was founded to supply more accommodation than the smaller church that stood here afforded. New work began in 1158 and continued for the next Century.

Wandering around the grounds of the largest Cathedral in Scotland, you’ll be amazed at the size. It’s hard to imagine the vastness from the ruins that remain today.

It’s free to walk the grounds and explore the old cemetery, but you’ll have to pay admission to climb St. Rule’s Tower for views over St. Andrews and Fife or visit the Museum.

Hours

April 1 to 30 September: Daily, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (last entry 4.45 pm).

October 1 to 31 October: Daily, 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.15 pm).

November 1 to 31 March: Friday to Monday, 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.15 pm). 

Closed on the 25th and 26th of December and the 1st and 2nd of January.

Prices

The grounds of the cathedral are open and are accessible free of charge.
St Rule’s Tower and the Museum are currently closed for essential maintenance, and sections of the graveyard are fenced off due to unstable gravestones.

St. Andrews Preservation Trust Museum

The St. Andrews Preservation Trust Museum is another excellent free Scottish Museum. It is in a beautiful 17th-century home in Fife, featuring exhibits from the past.

Out back are award-winning gardens and outhouses, which provide more information on how people lived a hundred years or more ago.

Upstairs, there is another exhibition that changes regularly.

Hours

The museum is now closed for major redevelopment and is expected to reopen sometime in 2025. You can still view some of the museum’s narratives and collections through our Pop-Up exhibition. Click here for more information.

St. Andrews Castle

St. Andrews Castle is less than a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral along the shoreline.

Walking through the ruins, you can imagine how the Bishops of the Cathedral would have lived before the traumatic circumstances of the Reformation.

You first go through the ticket office and exhibition on the history of the castle site, which dates back to the 12th Century. The exhibition concludes with John Knox delivering one of his rousing speeches, a pivotal moment leading up to the Protestant Reformation.

The Castle has been destroyed many times over the centuries, especially during the Scottish Wars for Independence when it changed hands between Scottish and English. Each time, it was rebuilt afterwards, even after the Protestant Reformation. It slowly fell into ruin upon the death of its last benefactor, Archbishop John Hamilton.

From the Castle viewing platforms, you can look up and down the coastline of Fife for miles.

Hours

There is currently no access to the siege mine, countermine and foretower.

29 March to 30 September: daily, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (last entry 4.45 pm).

1 October to 28 March: daily 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.30 pm).

Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.

Click here for any Current unexpected and short-term closures.

Prices

Prices have been reduced while restrictions are in place. Click here to find the current prices.

• Historic Scotland members receive free entry to our sites; however, we recommend booking online to ensure guaranteed entry. You must show your valid membership on arrival.
• English Heritage, Manx and Cadw members get half-price entry in their first year and free entry for renewal and life members. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry.

More Attractions to See in St Andrews

Other attractions in St. Andrews are very diverse. Love Golf? Then have a hit at the oldest golf courses in the world, or you could take a walk/run along the beach where Chariots of Fire was filmed next to the course. The St. Andrews Museum and the St. Andrews Aquarium are also well worth a visit.

From St. Andrews, you could visit the attractions in Dundee, which is only 30 minutes further up the road. If you’d like to see what there is to do in Dundee, read my blog, 3+ Things to Do in Dundee, Scotland.

Fife is easily accessible from Edinburgh by car, and you won’t be disappointed if you spend a few days here with so many attractions in Fife.

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Links

If you would like to read more about my travels in the UK, click on the following links: England, Scotland and Wales. Want to learn about UK passes and what you should get for where? You can read my blog on Save Money and Explore the UK with an Attraction Pass.

If you’d like to read more of my blogs about Australia, you can find them on the following links: Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Camping and Silo Art. You can also click on the links for New Zealand or Photography.

Travel Resources

• Flights & Accommodation—You can search for the cheapest flights and accommodation using Booking.com, Tripadvisor, and WayAway, which offers 5% cashback.
• Car Hire—In Australia, you can use Apex Car Rentals Australia, Budget Car Rentals Australia, or Avis Car Rentals Australia.
• Camper & RV Rentals—Want a quieter pace exploring Australia and New Zealand in your own accommodation? Jucy Rentals and Star RV Rentals will give you an unforgettable travelling experience.
• Train & Bus Tickets UK & Europe—Use Trainline to plan and book your rail and bus travel in the UK and Europe.
• Travel Insurance is the number one thing to pack when you’re travelling. Cover-More Australia, Cover-More New Zealand, EKTA, Travel Insurance Master, and Insubuy provide insurance coverage during your travels.
• Attractions—buy before you leave home with these great sites: Big Bus Tour, Get Your Guide, GoCity and Viator.
• Visa Applications—apply online for your visa requirements with iVisa.
• SIM cards—Try Airalo, the world’s first eSIM store, which solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travellers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards).
• Power Stations—Bluetti Australia and EcoFlow Australia Power Stations are your choices for sustainable, eco-friendly power on the go or at home.

If you’re interested in more tips, try my Travel Links and Resources page.

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